The Great Outdoors Job
by alittlelights
Summary: The team takes a job with one problem, Parker's never been camping before.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The team takes a job with one problem, Parker's never been camping before. A/N mostly ear-piece talk (if that makes sense). All mistakes are mine.

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"Remind me why I'm here again?"

"Because Hardison, even if there's no electricity here doesn't mean we won't need you. Besides if I have to be here and wear these horrible, then you do too away from your precious video games. And really can't they make hiking boots be not so bulky and maybe in a more fashionable color than multiple shades of brown?"

"Enough complaining guys, the corporate executives will be here soon and they're expecting a top notch company retreat. Is everything in order?"

"Yeah Nate, all the activities are set up, but we've got one problem."

"What now Eliot?"

"Well its Parker. She won't come out of the tent."

"What's her reason this time? There aren't any horses around so that's not the problem and we're high up on a mountain so that should count for being near her height territory."

"Beats me," Eliot grumbled as he walked over to the tent, "Come on darlin' you gotta come out. We got a job to do. Nate's not too happy that you won't be there to help with the ropes course."

"I can't go out there Eliot. It's too open. I belong in a ventilation shaft or in an office breaking into a safe. How am I supposed to help you guys, I know nothing about being outside or going on retreats."

"That's what I said man, well minus the lock picking and the air shaft part, because that dust messes with my sinuses and…"

"Shut it Hardison, you're not helpin' the situation." Trying the zipper only to find she was holding it only made him get more annoyed, "Please Parker, it can't be that bad. You've been in worse situations where you were uncomfortable so what's the real reason?"

"I've never been camping," she whispered.

"What was that? You've got to speak up" he replied, "I couldn't hear ya."

"I said I've never gone camping. That's something that a normal person does not me."

Seeing her poke her head through the small hole he had made Eliot came up with a plan that included both a way to help Parker and get the mark. "Well then you'd better get your crazy butt outta that tent, because this is also a team camping trip."

"Really?"

Seeing the smile spread across her face made all that trouble he went through worth it. "Yeah. We'll still be working a job, but lets face it just plain camping isn't good enough for us."

"Ok, I'll come out as long as you guys promise we can have a campfire…"

"Sure thing hun" Sophie's voice cut through the comms, "Eliot's already chopped the wood."

"…and scary stories…"

"Nate, dude that one's all you."

"Fine, just stop encouraging her Hardison."

"…and s'mores like they have in the commercials!"

"No. No we are not giving you sugar. Do you guys not remember what happened last time?"

"But Hardison, I promised I would never shake up all your orange sodas again."

"Just let her have the damn food, we already have all the stuff to make them."

"Ok, we'll roast marshmallows and all that stuff, but are you coming out yet Parker? I can see the vans pulling up the road now. The con only works if all of us take care of our positions."

"Yup. Turn around."

"Shesh woman, you gotta tell me how you do that. I think it's like your superpower or something."

"Hardison, focus!"

"Right, sorry Nate."

"Now that that's settled, let's go steal us the great outdoors."

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Comments? Concerns? Advice? Hit the button


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So I wasn't actually planning a sequel to this story, but there was a surprising number of people that wanted a second chapter to find out what happened. So I hope this meets those standards and also I think I've gotten a bit better at writing in conversation since then so yay. This is also the longest part I've written that wasn't forced by a challenge so I'm quite proud of that bit of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Leverage or any of it's characters… unfortunately. And all mistakes are my own.

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Chapter 2

As they sat around the fire Eliot couldn't help but smile at what had happened over the past few days. This job had been an interesting one to say the least.

Nate's plan to turn the employees of Fischer & Brown Financial against one another instead of building up trust and company moral worked perfectly. They managed to get the CEO to confess to his peers in spout of anger that he was funneling money and had blamed it on their client to cover it up.

Nate played the role of camp manager with Sophie acting as the special guest speaker for the weekend. Those two together could probably con anyone into turning against each other no problem, and that was just one reason he didn't want to get on their bad sides.

When the men weren't being tricked by the magic of Sophie's words it was up to him, Hardison, and Parker to do the exercises and recreational parts. If only they had told Parker that a trust fall did not include climbing up into a tree first things might have gone a bit smoother.

_Flashback_

_Standing in front of the crowd of associates Eliot watched as Parker started her explanation of the exercise. "My name's Parker and today we're going to do the Trust Fall to work on building up trust in your fellow team members. Right then, so for this you should grab yourself a partner," she let out only to pause and start looking around and finally stopped searching once she met his gaze. His last thought before walking up was this is not going to be fun._

_Starting up her speech again she introduced him and explained how you need to trust your partner and your team if you are going to be able to work with them. Before she could explain the jobs for each person she had already taken off climbing the branches of the nearest pine tree._

_"Parker what are you doing?" He yelled getting close enough to the tree to see she was a good 15 feet in the air._

_"This is supposed to be the trust fall Eliot, you're supposed to fall remember?"_

_Seeing the 'well duh' face she had on he realized that no one had ever explained to her the rules of the game first. "No Parker you don't fall out of a tree in the trust fall you just fall backwards and the person standing behind you is supposed to catch you, not jump from a height that could kill you."_

_"Ha oh please Eliot this won't kill you maybe break a bone if you land wrong, but no definitely will not kill me. See?" And with that she let herself fall through the patch were there weren't any branches in the way._

_Instinctively putting his arms up Eliot caught her, but the momentum pulled them both to the ground. Trying to catch his breath after that he heard what sounded like laughter coming from Parker._

_"See," she said, "what did I tell ya? I mean this really wasn't that much of a height difference from that one time I jumped off that guy's house in Florida. Only this time I knew you'd be there to catch me."_

_"There's something wrong with you," was the only response he could muster while trying to sit up._

_Somehow Parker's misunderstanding actually helped fuel the fire between the co-workers, because all Eliot could hear from them sounded like, "No, there's no way I'm doing that" and "So does that mean you don't trust me?"_

_Watching her smile and brush the leaves and dirt off her clothes as the men turned away to head back to camp Eliot decided maybe she was the right person for this job._

_End of Flashback_

Grabbing some of the s'mores supplies from the picnic table Eliot grabbed Parker's now empty stick and stuck another marshmallow on for her.

"Mmm thanks," she mumbled as she finished eating the last one that had mostly turned black from Parker setting it on fire every two seconds.

Sitting down next to her he helped her find the right spot to put the marshmallow so that it would turn a golden-brown instead of become incinerated. "You've got to find just the right spot that has enough hot embers instead of actual flame and slowly rotate it if you want it to be really good."

Nodding her head she held the skewer there and turned it just like he said.

After a few minutes Eliot finally got the courage to ask Parker the question that had been on his mind since the tree incident, "Hey Parker, how were you able to explain the reason behind the trust fall if you never know really how to do it?"

"Well it's not really that different from what we do everyday. I trust Nate that he'll make a plan and Sophie that she'll be able to pull off the grift and Hardison to hack into whatever needs to be hacked."

"What about me though?"

"I trust you to protect me and catch me when I fall," sighing she leaned up against him and he put his arm around only to notice that during their conversation Parker's marshmallow had once again caught on fire.

"Parker pull out your marshmallow!"

"Ahh" she yelled as she started waving it around only to have it fly off and knock over Hardison's orange soda sitting on the ground.

"Seriously. I mean seriously. See this is why I said don't give Parker any sugar. Bad stuff happens and it always happens to me and my precious soda."

Tuning out Hardison he turned back to Parker to if she wanted him to make a s'more for her, but first she hugged him whispering in his ear, "Thanks Eliot, this was fun."

And that was enough for him. That small ounce of gratitude made up for all the crazy she had put him through on the job.

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